A majority of part-time workers expect they will be replaced by kiosks due to the rise in minimum wage, with those working at restaurants and cafes expressing the most concern, a portal survey said Tuesday.

Alba, a portal for job seekers, asked 644 members between July 27 and Aug. 1 what they thought of stand-alone computer devices that serve as vendors and service providers.

Sixty-eight percent said the number of such devices will rise with the marking up in hourly wages that goes into effect next year. The government and union leaders agreed on a 16.4-percent hike in the minimum pay to 7,530 won ($6.66) for 2018, with the goal of reaching 10,000 won.


The survey said 61.2 percent feared that part-time jobs will eventually be eliminated due to kiosks. Other cited problems in using kiosks included time spent learning to use such devices (12.4 percent), losing opportunity to gain social experience through jobs (12.4 percent), and increased product and service prices from the cost of operating kiosks (7 percent).

Cafes, restaurants and fast food stores would be quickest to adopt kiosks, according to 38 percent of the people surveyed. Convenience stores (25.6 percent) would be next, followed by manufacturing (18.2 percent), and department stores and marts (9 percent), the survey said.

Tutors and after-school academies would be least replaceable (31.8 percent), people believed, along with consultants and marketers (28.9 percent). (Yonhap)